Explanations sought for far-right rise

The entry of three far-right parties into Parliament was a first for Greece since the end of the dictatorship era in 1974.

The Spartiates (Spartans), Hellenic Solution and Niki won the confidence of 12.77% of voters, receiving a total of 34 seats.

According to Vassiliki Georgiadou, professor of political science at Panteion University, who has been studying the Greek far-right since 2000, it is difficult to recall another European country in which the far-right is represented by three parliamentary parties at the same time.

Moreover, she noted that if the voters of the far-right parties that did not make it into Parliament are added, the total number of such voters exceeds 15%.

Tellingly, in a relevant survey she conducted after the 2019 election to identify the right-wing populist potential in the electorate, the results were "not negligible," and she...